Vehicle Acquisition, Transfer and Disposal Policy

Purpose

To establish a policy governing the procedures and guidelines for the acquisition, transfer and disposal of University owned vehicles (“University vehicles”) in order to provide Tufts University faculty, staff and students with safe, reliable, economical and clean modes of transportation.

Procedures

Tufts University procurement, inventory practices and procedures apply to the purchasing of all vehicles. Individual employees are not authorized to solicit or negotiate vehicle prices from any supplier. Under no circumstances may an individual employee commit to the purchase of a vehicle on behalf of the University.

All new vehicle purchases (starting in 2015) must either a back-up camera installed or rear-sensing alarms. All Facilities and Athletic vehicles must have a backup alarm or siren.

Sustainability

In order to reduce Tufts’ fuel consumption and energy costs, as well as meet Tufts’ sustainability goals, all departments/divisions should look to purchase fuel-efficient options within their vehicle class for university use whenever such vehicles are commercially available and practical.

Consideration should be given to alternative fuel vehicles; such as hybrid electric, compressed natural gas, non-internal combustion engine or other innovative fuel alternatives.

Vehicles must have a class ranking of “average” or higher rating according to the annual American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) rating guide found at http://greenercars.org/greenercars-ratings

Exemptions

Heavy-duty vehicles having a manufacturer’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of more than 8,500 pounds.

Police cruisers are exempt from this criterion until fuel efficient models become available.

Non-exempt vehicles shall not be replaced with a recycled vehicle from another university department unless the recycled vehicle meets the fuel efficiency ratings outlined in this Policy, or has substantial life remaining.

Acquisition

All vehicle acquisition requests must be first reviewed and approved by the Transportation/Fleet Manager. Such requests must address, at a minimum, the following:

Type of vehicle being requested

Reason and purpose of the request

The primary use of the vehicle

Replacement/trade in

How frequently the vehicle will be utilized

The number of miles that the proposed vehicle will be driven annually

The requesting department must submit for a CEA and upon CEA approval, the Transportation/Fleet Manager and Capital Asset Administrator will contact the Purchasing Department (who are responsible for obtaining the best value possible, utilizing the University’s collective purchasing power). Purchasing will then source the vehicle.

Title/Registration Process

Tufts University registers all vehicles internally. The Transportation/Fleet Manager will ask the vehicle supplier for the Certificate of Origin or title, as well as the RMV 1 form. These documents will be sent to the University’s insurer, and then returned to the Transportation/Fleet Manager to be submitted to the RMV. Fees associated with this process are budgeted under the Department of Public and Environmental Safety. All documents will be filed with the Transportation/Fleet Manager.

Insurance

Tufts University vehicles are insured through the Trustees of Tufts College. In cases of at-fault authorized-use accidents by a Tufts driver, where Tufts is unable to recover financially from a responsible third party, the driver’s department, school or program will assume the first $1,000 of any cost associated with the accident.

All vehicles will receive a unique campus number from the Transportation/Fleet Manager, which must be performed prior to delivery. Costs associated with the number identification is covered by the department purchasing the vehicle.

Maintenance

Under Warranty

All vehicles must have warranty service performed by the dealership.

Expired Warranty

The Transportation/Fleet Manager will establish a maintenance schedule for the vehicle and notify the department when preventative maintenance checks are needed. The department will bring their vehicle to the facilities garage located on College Ave, next to Halligan Hall. The University mechanic will inspect the vehicle. If additional work and/or parts are needed aside from the routine preventative maintenance check, the mechanic will reach out to the department contact, lists the charges and ask for a work order to be created, along with a DEPT ID. If the work is out of the scope of the mechanic’s ability, he/she will recommend an auto-body for further repair.

Police Fleet

All police fleet maintenance is out-sourced off campus.

Parking/Road Use

Tufts University vehicles do not need to acquire a University permit to park on campus, however they are subjected to all university parking rules and regulations. Vehicles cannot (1) park in handicap-marked stalls, (2) park in fire lanes, or (3) park in visitor-marked stalls, as well as all other university parking rules/restrictions (https://publicsafety.tufts.edu/adminsvc/parking-and-traffic-regulations/)

If parking on a city street, vehicles must pay for parking if required.

Any fines or fees (including attorney fees) resulting from the moving violation or parking ticket are the driver’s sole responsibility and are not considered reimbursable costs.

Transfer of University Vehicles

The University is continually looking at ways to reduce the size of its fleet where appropriate. Tufts preference is to trade in existing vehicles when replacing them to accomplish this goal. However, with the approval of the Transportation/Fleet Manager, vehicles no longer needed by one department or school and are found to be in good and safe working condition may be transferred to another department or school. If a University vehicle is eligible to be transferred, the Transportation/Fleet Manger will work with the Office of Property Management, the department to which the vehicle will be transferred, and other appropriate departments to ensure the transfer complies with established property management and inventory control procedures. Any cost associated with the transfer will be mutually agreed upon by the transferring parties.

Disposal of University Vehicles

Requests to dispose of a vehicle must be sent to the Transportation/Fleet Manager in writing. The Transportation/Fleet Manager will first determine if the vehicle may be eligible to be transferred to another department or school. If the vehicle is not eligible to be transferred to another department or school, the Transportation/Fleet Manger will work with the Purchasing Office to dispose of the University vehicle in accordance with established property management and inventory control procedures. Any funds received through the sale of a vehicle will be returned to the department. Funds received for the disposal of a vehicle will be returned to the Transportation/Fleet office. These funds are used to help fund the vehicle registration/titling process for all university vehicles.